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Nov. 20

H. G. JOSEPHSON APPARATUS FOR MAKING SHANK REENFORCES 1920 2 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed June 25:

Jamar, fi/mer 6 15 c:

Nov. 20, 1923. 1,474,719

H. G. JOSEPHSON APPARATUS FOR MAKING SHANK REENFORCES Filed June 23, 1920 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 5 llli v 26 Patented Nov. 20, 1923.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

H'ELMER G. JOSEPHSON, 0F LYNN, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR T0 FREEMAN J. WIN- CHELL, OF NAHA'N-T, MASSACHUSETTS, JOHN L. SHEVENELL, OF- HAVER'HIIJL, MASSACHUSETTS, -AND HELMER G JOSEPHSON, TRUSTEES, OF LYNN, MASSA- CHUSETTS.

APPARATUS FOR MAKING SHANK KEENFORCES.

Application filed June 23, 1920. Serialli'o. 391,011.

T o all whom it may concern Be it known that I, HELMER G. J osnrrr- SON, fl citizen of the United States, andresident of Lynn, county of Essex, Commonwealth of Massachusetts, haveinvented an Improvement in Apparatus for Making Shank Reenforces, of which the following descriptiomvin connection with the accom-.

panying drawings, is. a specification, like characters on the drawings representinglike parts'in each of the several views.

This invention relates to the manufacture of metallic reenforce pieces for shoe shanks and more particularly to an improved method and apparatus whereby such reenforce pieces may be stamped. rapidly and automatically froma strip or ribbon of metal stock and requiringonly a single die move ment to produce the completed article. Shank reenforcemembers of the type produced bythe invention are equipped with prongs struck out therefrom at separated points for penetration into the leather of the shank and the reenforce piece is also shaped by bending the same longitudinally to fit the outline of the shank and also arching or howing the same transversely to lend stiffness t0 the sheet stock of which thepiece is composed. One principal object. of the invention is to provide a method and apparatus wherebythe penetrating prongs of the reenforce piece may be struck out from the metal of the piece by punchingdiesoperative at the sides.

of the stock strip whereby nolimitation on the size of such punch dies is imposed by the dimension of the prongs to be pressed out. A further object is to provide an improved method and means whereby the penetrating prongs ma y be pressed from the metal of the neenforce piece without weakening the same and with the greatest possible economy of stock. Still further objects relate to an improved method and meansfor handling the strip stock so that the same is guided easily and accurately through the dies for the succession. of operations thereon, the prongs being projected upwardly so that the free sliding movement of the stock. is insured. As an incidentto-the last mentioned feature the punching dies which produce the prongs arerelatively stationary and extend upward from the lower dieba-se. and a stock guiding block or plate is guided for yielding movement downward with respect to these punching dies upon engagement by the upper or movable die member; Thet'oregoing and. other objects and advantages-of the in? vention will more fully appear from the following detailed description, and the distinctive features of novelty will thereafter be pointed out inthe appended. claims.

Referring to the drawings:

Fig. 1 isa side elevation of a die mechanism embodying the structural features of theinvention and adapted for carrying out. the method thereof;

Fig. 2 is a bottomplan view of the upper die member; I

Fig. 3 is a plan view of the lower. die member;

Fig. 1 is a transverse'sec-tion online l4 of Fig. 3;

Fig. 5 is a transverse section on line 5--5 of Fig. 3;

Fig. 6. is an edge View of a strip of stock in course of production into shank reenforces and showing diagrammatically the action of the tools thereon;

Fig. 7 is an enlarged fragmentary plan. View showing particularly the method of' material saving in producing the prongs;

Fig. 8 isa side view of a completed'shank reeuforce made in accordance with the invention; and

Fig. 9 is a detail perspective showing one of the die punches.

10 indicatesv a. relatively stationary die base with which a movable die head 11 is adapted. to co-operate, this base and head being mounted in a usual or suitable press. The base 10 is recessed to. form a socket 1-2 at one end portion thereof. portion has fitted therein .two pairs oi spaced apart punch. dies 13, 1t and 15,, 16 respectively which project upward a sub.- stantial distance above the top surface of thebase. These dies are held in place in the recess 12 by a filler block 17 provided with seats, into which the lower portion of the punches iit to beheld thereby against displacement. The pairs of punches 13, 14-;

piece, and the. punches of each pair. are

spaced apart laterally: a distance slightly This rebated the strip stock and being of V-shapc and having pointed extremities as best shown in Fig. 7. The

cutting edges 18 of the punches which are constituted by the relieved upper extremities thereof are normally a little below the top surface of a plate or block 19 which is borne on posts 20 fitted in the base and normally spring pressed upward by compres' sion springs 21 encircling the posts 20 and extending into sockets 22 therefor in the die base. There are preferably four of the posts or pins 20 acent the respective corners of the block 19 and these are prefer ably secured to said block and slidable downward in the base though this particular arrangement is optional. in addition to the springs 21, one or more additional springs 23 may be fitted in sockets of the base to react upward against the block 19 to hold it yieldingly at an upper limit of movement as determined by heads 2O- at the lower ends of the pins 20 which engage the tops of sockets 20" therefor in the base. The block 19 has fixed to the upper surface thereof adjacent the pairs of punches, hold-down blocks 24 which constitute guiding members for the strip of stock to direct the same into operative relation with the punches. For this purpose these guide blocks have central downwardly extending tongues 2 1s adapted to engage the central portion of the stock strip to hold it in sliding engagement with the block 19 with slots 24; at each side thereof to afford clearance for the prongs as turned up by the punches. Between these guide blocks the plate 19 may be equipped with a die stamp 25 adapted to impress any suitable name or designation on thepieces turned out. The base 10 has fixed thereon just in advance of the plate 19 a stationa-i die block 26 with which co operates a movable (.ie member borne by the die head Ill. These die members are formed with mating faces adapted to impart a longitudinal bend to the eenforce piece, the lower die 26 having the convex surface of this form with the extremity 26 thereof substantially alined with the top surface of the plate 19 when said plate is pressed downward in an operative movement. The dies 26, 27 are also formed to impart a transverse arch or bow to the piece for stiffening purposes, the upper die 27 for this purpose having a projecting rib 27 and the lower die having a co-operative seat 26 Guide pins 28 are fixed in the stationary die 26 to extend upward at each side of the strip to hold the same in alinement. The upper die 11 has fixed thereto just in advance of the die 27 a cutting oii die 29 which is adapted to co-operate with the forward edge 26 of the die 26 to constitute a shear for severing the completed reenforce piece. The base 10 is equipped with a suitable stop 30 which is set in advance of the shear edge 26 exactly the length of on of the reenforce pieces. Thus a completed piece formed and arched and with prongs struck therefrom will be severed at each operation. At each operation also, the next preceding blank is formed with its longitudinal bend and with its transverse arch by the dies 26, 27, the upstandingprongs previously formed in the blank. being at this time received in slots 51 in the upper dies. the slots 31 being shown as formed in the shear die 29 and the slots 32 being in the forming die 27. T he blank next preceding the one to be sheared off thus extends just the distance across the forming die, i. e., from the edge 26 to the edge 26 The first pair of punches 13, 1 are located in such position with reference to the shears 26, 29 and to the stop 30 that the prongs punched. out thereby will be just in advance of the shear dies when the blank. reaches cutting off position, as best shown in Figs. 6 and 7. Thus it wiil be noted that the material for producing the prongs P at the end of the reenforce piece is obtained by beveling off the corners of the next following blank. Such beveling of the corners as indicated at B does not at all weaken or lessen the effective stiffness of the reenforce piece but rather serves merely to give it a more finished appearance. The other pair of prongs P which are struck at the sides of the blank adjacent its other end are located beyond the point where the maximum requirement for stiffness is involved and leaves an extremity E of the piece that is adapted to conform itself to the surface of the shank so as not to spring away there from in the flexing of the shank. Further important and distinctive advantages of the present nietl'iod and apparatus are that since the punches 14 and 15 16 are located at the sides of the stock strip and exterior th reof, they may be made of a large enough cross section so as to be strong and reliable for the duty imposed thereon, this being an important feature since were the punches located Within the edges of the stock strip, they would have to be so slender in view of the small size of the prongs as to be constantly liable to breaking elf or mutilation. Since the prongs are pressed upward from the stock strip, the strip is left with a smooth lower surface which permits it to be moved freely and easily forward for successive blanking operations thereon. As best shown in Fig. 1 the punch plate 19 is normally held by the pin heads 20 under the action of the springs 2], 23 so that its top surface is approximately in alinement with the highest point of the convex die 26 and when depressed by the movement of the upper die head, its surface is substantially alined with the lower or end portion 26' of the convex fonming die. The upper die head 11 is equipped with a suitable die block 33 for cooperation with the punch plate 19, this die block having sockets 34, 35 to receive the punches and having other sockets 36 to receive the guide blocks 24-. The upper forming die 27 also has at its rear end slots 37 to receive the prongs at the rear end of the blank being formed thereby. I am aware that the invention may be embodied in other specific forms without departing from the spirit or essential attributes thereof, and I therefore desire the present embodiment to be considered in all respects as illustrative and not restrictive, reference being had to the appended claims rather than to the foregoing de' scription to indicate the scope of the invention.

Having described any invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. Apparatus 0f the kind described, comprising a lower die base equipped with upstanding punches located at each side of a line of strip material feed and adapted to punch out prongs in the outer lateral edges of strip material, a forming die borne by said base in advance of said punches in the line of material feed, and an upper relatively movable die'head equipped with die members co-operative with said punches and with said forming die respectively to punch and form strip material for making shank reenforce pieces, said die base and die head equipped with co-operative portions of a severing device located to sever the strip directly back of the prongs formed thereon.

2. Apparatus of the kind described, comprising a die base, upstanding punches mounted thereon spaced apart along a line of strip material feed and also spaced apart in pairs laterally of the line of feed adapted to punch out prongs in the side edges of strip material, a yieldable punch plate cooperative with said punches, a forming die borne by said base in advance of said punches, and a relatively movable die head equipped with die elements co-operative with said punches and with said forming die to produce shank reenforce pieces.

3. Apparatus of the kind described, com prising a die base equipped with upwardly projecting punches arranged in pairs spaced apart laterally of a line of strip material feed and constructed and arranged to punch out prongs in the side edges of strip material, a spring pressed punch plate slidably fitted on said punches and yieldable downward to engage said base, said punch plate bearing hold-down members for the strip material, a forming die borne by said base in advance of said punches, and a relatively movable die head equipped with die ele ments eo-operative with said punches and with said forming die and including a cutting off member, for producing shank reenforce pieces or the like.

In testimony whereof, I have signed my name to this specification.

HELMER G. J OSEPHSON. 

